7.23.2012

Seahawks lineman Russel Okung (far left) was joined by Chris White, Trent Williams and Swanson Miller in visiting patients at the Texas Children's Hospital in Houston.

Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle and native Houstonian Russell Okung left the gridiron of summer football camp for a day to once again impact his hometown community by brightening the day of patients at the Texas Children’s Hospital on July 17. This is another positive effort under the umbrella of the Russell Okung UP Foundation, Okung’s charity with a mission to reach out to children of single parent homes to offer hope through activities and information on the importance of a good education and social responsibility.

Okung was joined by fellow NFL linemen Chris “Catfish” White (New York Giants), Swanson Miller (New Orleans Saints), and Trent Williams (Washington Redskins).
Escorted by a TCH worker, the four pro athletes went room to room visiting ailing young people who lit up with happiness; some even had tubes in their noses. Each patient received a personally autographed football, enjoyed some uplifting words and welcomed the opportunity to take a picture with the NFL stars.

I witnessed all of this firsthand. The nurses, who work with these suffering children day and night, expressed their gratitude for the presence of these NFL players. One of the nurses even said that it’s difficult for them to get people of such stature to volunteer their time to visit TCH.
I could tell that Okung and the others were not doing this for media attention, but with the proper motivation to give back. No media cameras were following behind them; only my Nikon. These brothers also stopped to take photos with the staff and signed autographs for fans walking throughout the hospital. It was a great way to give back and I’m looking forward to seeing the Okung UP Foundation continuing to serve the people. See more photos below!